Stories of Liverpool's maritime past and Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade come to Kenilworth later this month when local author Ben Shaw signs copies of his new book at Kenilworth Books.

Ben, who has lived in Kenilworth since 1998, is the author of The Slave Trader: The Story of Bryan Blundell, recently published by Pen & Sword History.

The book tells the story of Bryan Blundell, a Liverpool mariner and merchant who went to sea as a cabin boy aged just 12 in 1687 and went on to become a wealthy and influential Liverpool figure, including serving twice as mayor.

Drawing on Blundell's personal sea journal, held in the Lancashire Archives, Ben traces his life and explores how his success was intrinsically connected to Liverpool's growing involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

The book comes at a particularly timely moment, following the recent BBC series Finding Britain's Slave Traders with David Olusoga and the launch of the new Register of British Slave Traders, which documents the involvement of around 13,000 people in Britain's slave trade.

Ben's book takes one of those individuals and explores his life in detail, asking how and why someone like Blundell became involved in a trade that would have such a profound and lasting impact on millions of lives.

The book was launched at Liverpool's historic Bluecoat Arts Centre in September, where the event sold out. It has since received praise from historians and maritime specialists for bringing Blundell's story to life and exploring the wider history of Liverpool's involvement in the slave trade.

Ben will be at Kenilworth Books in Talisman Square on Saturday 17 October to meet readers and sign copies of the book.

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